SoCal soccer fans thrilled by World Cup final

July 11, 2010 12:00:00 AM PDT

By Melissa MacBride

PASADENA, Calif. --

Sporting bright orange or red and yellow, soccer fans converged on the Pasadena Civic Auditorium to watch the Netherlands and Spain battle for their first World Cup title."The energy is great, the crowd is great," said Spain fan Franklin Bonk. "It's better than watching it at home, that's for sure."

It was Spain's first appearance in the World Cup final match, while the Dutch twice made it to the final match in the 1970s.

Fans from both teams witnessed plenty of fouls and anxiously awaited shots on goals.

The game was scoreless at the half and at the end of regulation.

"It's a little bit tense right now, but we will win," said Netherlands fan Harley Wattimena. "We'll get through."

The game went into extra time and Spain finally gave its fans the moment they had been waiting for.

"I've been waiting for this for 43 years," said Carlos Quintero, a Spain fan. "You never think it's going to happen to you. Even now, it's weird."

"It's everything you can imagine," said Spain fan Fernando Mexia. "If you're a soccer fan, it's the best thing that can happen to you, and it's the first time that it happened to my country. It was a dramatic match. We're very happy."

For the Dutch, it was a feeling of disappointment.

"(Netherlands forward Arjen) Robben missed two major opportunities," said disappoint Netherlands fan Pascal Eropsy. "He should have scored at least one. It was so close, it could've gone either way. It was a great, great final."

In addition to holding the golden trophy, Spanish players will take home a lot of cash: Roughly $758,000per player.